Beijing Happy Valley

Being tired after making a long journey, you may wonder where else you can have entertainment. Beijing Happy Valley can fully satisfy your desire. Located in the southeast corner of Sifang Bridge, on the fourth ring road, in Chaoyang District in Beijing, it is your happy theme park, another Disneyland in Mainland China. Covering an area of 1,000,000 square kilometers (386,102 square miles), it has been open to tourists since 2006 and attracted a lot of visitors from home and abroad.

Thematic Landscapes

Beijing Happy Valley is composed of six theme parks, including Firth Forest, Atlantis, Aegean Sea, Lost Maya, Shangri-La and Ant Kingdom. More than 50 scenic sights of culture and ecology are scattered in all direction, to offer you a rare opportunity to experience the charm of various civilizations regardless of the distance of space and time. The full extent of the valley is compared to a beautiful artistic picture where you can see tree houses, docks, bridges, towns, ancient towers, lakes, forests and other amazing scenic spots beyond your imagination. After going through the famous 'ecological forest' in Firth Forest, the first sight you will see is the high-rising Crystal City. There you can have a close contact with those figures of ancient Greek myths in Aegean Sea. Recall the glorious Maya and their scattered huge stone pillars. Enjoy the happiness of simple life in dreamy Shangri-la. Wake up the child within you, and love for nature in Ant Kingdom. Beijing Happy Valley will fully satisfy your desire and curiosity.

Thematic Leisure Activities

Pop Music Festival: The super band is creating a grand music ceremony for you. Surrender to those deafening rhythms, marvelous sounds and hot dances that can easily arouse your excitement.

Maximal Exercise Festival: Your eyes will be feasted on all sorts of performance. It's a most exciting and healthy festival of praising youth. Don't hesitate to take part in the latest crazes from skateboards to bicycle riding. It's up to you!

Chinese Spring Festival: You will be attracted by every splendid program in this riotous atmosphere. Performances with strong ethnic flavor will bring a fantastic visionary taste.

Water-Splashing Festival: Water symbolizes luck and wealth. On Water-Splashing Festival, people sprinkle water onto each other as a unique way to express their good wish. Come here and enjoy the cool and happy moment.

International Magic Day: Magicians of the first rank from all over the world present distinct magic tricks for you. Keep your eyes on this magical world full of suspension.

Thematic Park

Thematic Park is composed of six parts: Firth Forest, Atlantis, Aegean Sea, Lost Maya, Shangri-La and Ant Kingdom. Each of them has its own feature, but all of them can fully satisfy your desire of seeking happiness.

Tips:

To make your journey more convenient and comfortable, you can take a trainset, wecker, or electric power cart in the park.

Price of trainset\wecker: CNY 20. Children under 1.2 meters (4 feet) are ticket-free, between 1.2 (4 feet) to 1.4 meters (4 feet 7 inches) pay half price.

Price of single electric power cart: deposit: CNY 300, you need pay CNY 30 for half an hour journey and CNY 60 for one hour journey.

You can take bus No.52 at Tiananmen Square and get off at East Jinsongqiao Station to take bus No.41 and get off at South Houfengqiao Station. Or you can take a subway and get off at Dawang Road Station to change bus No.31 and get off at South Houfengqiao Station.

Please consult the day's notice for changes and the Beijing Happy Valley Performance Time.

Admission Fee: (All Inclusive Ticket)	CNY 160 (Apr.1-Nov.14) CNY 120 (Nov.15-Mar.31)
Opening Hours:	09:00-19:30 (weekday) 08:30-19:30 (weekend)
Ticket-Selling Hours:	09:30-16:00

Liulichang Culture Street

If you have a favor with curios, calligraphy, painting or other artwork in China, Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture is a must when you travel in Beijing.

Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture is located south of the Peace Gate of Xuanwu District in Beijing. During the time of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a colored glaze factory (Liuli Chang in Chinese) was in production there, which made glazed tiles for the palaces, temples and residences of the officials, hence the name. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), many businessmen and venders began to sell curios and old books there. Over years the factory was gradually replaced by the bazaar of calligraphy, painting, copybook, artifacts and the four treasures of the study. i.e. writing brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper. Later the street fell into absence of lively atmosphere for a time until the rebuild in the year 1982 that revived it. Now shops and houses of gray tiles and bricks together with sculptures and colored image are lined orderly by the street, making it taste more classical.

Rongbaozhai and China Bookshop
The most famous shop in the Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture is Rongbaozhai Bookshop. Built in the early years of Qing Dynasty, it now particularly sells authentic calligraphy and paintings of both ancient and modern authors in China. It is also well-known for an expert copy technique; the products from this method cannot be easily distiguished from the original. Another also reputed across the country is the China Bookshop, where you can buy block-printed editions and hand-copied books of the ancient times.

Guanfu Classic Art Museum
As the first private museum in our country, it was opened in 1997, with displays of about 50 porcelains from the late Ming Dynasty as well as old-fashioned furniture, carpets and costumes and others of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There you can not only appreciate the art works but also feel the history better.

Beijing Opera Remains
Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture also had often been selected as the platform for the performance of Beijing Opera. These show buildings and assembly halls now become a bright sight of the culture of this street. This soil has nurtured many opera superstars such as the well-known Mei Lanfang, around here you can still find the former residence relics of some of them.

Changdian and Haiwangcun Park
The noisiest place you may find in the Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture is Changdian in the south of the street. Since the Ming Dynasty, a large temple fair had been held for the first 16 days of the Spring Festival (Lunar Jan.1 - Jan.16). It became a custom to stroll in the fair during the Spring Festival in Beijing. Now, this characteristic festival has been resumed after many years' decline since the end of Qing Dynasty. There is still another line of scenery in this area. Beside a branch shop of China Bookshop is the old relics of Haiwangcun Park. Built in 1917, it was the centre of bazaar and the busiest place in Changdian. Many kinds of trades were carried out here such as the metallic works, stones and curios, calligraphy, painting, photography and musical instruments. The park was also decorated with many spectacular buildings like water features, pavilions and stone carving arches. The reconstruction of the relics of the park is presently at work.

The Beijing Municipal government has planned to invest much capital in the repair of the Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture. It is expected to be the earliest, largest and most aesthetic collection place of artware and a good tourist choice for the appreciation of the ancient Beijing before the 2008 Olympics.

Ancient Observatory

The Ancient Observatory, situated at the southeast corner of Beijing's Jianguomen Bridge, was initially built circa 1442, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Its rich history spans more than five hundred years, making it one of the most historically interesting observatories in the world. During the Ming Dynasty it was known as the 'Platform of Star-Watching', but its name was later changed to 'Observatory' during the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). After the Revolution of 1911, the title became 'Central Observatory'. The observatory was renovated in the early 1980s and reopened to the public in 1983. Today, the observatory has become the 'Beijing Ancient Astronomical Instruments Display Hall', an affiliate of the Beijing Observatory.

In total, the observatory covers an area of 1,000 square meters (about 0.25 acre). It is divided into two parts, the platform and the affiliated building. The platform is 17.79 meters (about 58.4 feet) high, 24 meters (about 78.7 feet) long and 20 meters (about 65.6 feet) wide. Eight bronzed astronomical instruments stand on this platform, all of which are ornately carved, having been well preserved since the time of the Qing Dynasty. They are huge but exquisitely carved. The design of the instruments reflects both the influence of Oriental craftsmanship and European Renaissance understanding of measurements and physics. Under the platform stands a group of affiliated buildings, built with simple elegance. Beijing Ancient Observatory is a milestone in Chinese architecture, marking a cultural exchange between the Orient and the West. It is not only a place to observe the heaven but a unique historical treasure.

If you are an amateur astronomer or a fan of stargazing, you can take a turn looking at the starry sky through the ancient observatory, maybe you will catch a glimpse of a meteor or your constellation.

Fragrant Hills Park(Xiangshan Park)

Situated in the east part of western hills, 28 kilometers (17 miles) northwest of the Beijing City, Fragrant Hills Park is a large park of hills and forest covering 160 hectares (395.4 acres). Both its natural sceneries and cultural relics are abundant. Xianglu Peak (Incense Burner Peak), 557 meters (1827.4 feet) high, is its highest peak.

The park was first built in 1186 in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and later extended to a large scale in the Yuan and Ming dynasties. In 1745, Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) ordered the addition of many new halls, pavilions and gardens and gave it a new name, Jingyi Garden (Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Unfortunately, in 1860 and 1900 after the Summer Palace and the Yuanming Yuan (the Old Summer Palace) were set on fire, lots of relics in the Fragrant Hills were damaged by foreign troops. Since 1949, with a half-century's restoration and development by Chinese government, Fragrant Hills Park has been recognized as one of the ten most famous parks in Beijing.

The most spectacular natural scenery in the Fragrant Hills Park is the red smoke tree leaves over the mountains. When autumn arrives, fiery red leaves blanket the entire mountain. Every year, thousands of tourists come to the park. The cable cars are a great way to take in the beautiful scenes.

Visitors may take two main routes to explore the park. The first one is to go along the north route, where visitors will see Spectacles Lake (Yanjing Lake), Study of Reading Heart (Jianxin Zhai), Bright Temple (Zhao Miao), etc. Spectacles Lake is a lake divided half by a bridge. Study of Reading Heart was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was noted as the park inside Fragrant Hills Park. Bright Temple is a large Tibetan style lamasery complex built in 1780 as the residence for the sixth Panchen Lama during his visits to Emperor Qianlong. Buildings in the complex have partially been burned down. Among the surviving treasures are a majestic glazed-tiled archway in front of the complex, a Tibetan style terrace and a glazed-tiled pagoda. Bells hung on the eaves of the pagoda chime in breeze.

Another route leads to the south area of the park. Main attractions along the route include Tranqulity Green Lake (Jingcui Lake), Shuangqing Villa, Fragrant Temple, Incense Burner Peak, etc. This route is a little hard for the highest peak, Incense Burner Peak. However it is worthwhile to try. One of the 'must see' points of interest is the Shuangqing Villa, which is attractive not for its natural beauty but more for its place in Chinese history - it was once the residence of Chairman Mao Zedong as well as an early sight for the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The alluring beauty of Fragrant Hills Park waits for you to appreciate all it has to offer.

Bell and Drum Towers

The bell and drum were originally used as musical instruments in China. Afterward, however, they were used for telling time. As early as in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), there was 'a morning bell and a dusk drum'. Telling the time by bell and drum played an important role in helping people live and work regularly when there was no other means to keep track of the time. As a result, bell and drum towers became public architectures, and were widely constructed in almost every city throughout the country since the Han Dynasty. In the history of their construction, the bell and drum towers of Beijing are the largest and highest. Their layout is unique, in that they were placed fore-and-aft, not as the traditional sense of standing right-and-left horizontally.

Lying to the north of Beijing-south axis line in Dongcheng District, the bell and drum towers are visibly prominent constructions and represent the symbol of this old city. They were built in 1272, and rebuilt twice after two fires. At one period in history they were the time-telling center of the capital city during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (1271-1911).

Bell Tower

This brick and stone towers have two floors: there is an arched door on all four sides of the tower on the first floor, and you can go up to the second floor through stone stairs. The same exists on the first floor. An arched door was also built on the four sides of the second floor. Additionally, there is a stone window on each side of the four doors. Hanging on an eight-square wooden frame of the second floor, the bell in this tower is the largest and heaviest in China. It is 7.02 meters (23 feet) high including the pendants, with a weight of 63 tons (138,891 pounds). The bell was made of copper, and you can hear its round and clear sound from far away. The two 2-meter-long (2 yards) wooden logs hanging sideward are used to ring the bell.

Drum Tower

Located 100 meters (109 yards) south to the bell tower, the drum tower was placed on a 4-meter-high (13 feet) stone and brick base. It is 46.7 meters (153 feet) high, a little bit lower than the bell tower that is 47.9 meters high (157 feet). This tower is also a two-storey building; the first floor contains the China Committee for the Promotion of the Minority Art. The second floor contains the exhibition area. Originally, there was one big drum and 24 smaller drums, but only the big drum remains. The method of beating the drum is to beat it quickly for 18 times and then slowly for 18 times. Altogether there are three rounds and 108 tollings. People knock the bell and the drum 108 times, because 108 times represent one year in ancient times.

Telling time by ringing the bell and beating the drum was abolished after Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, left the Forbidden City. Since the New Year's Eve of 1990, the sweet sound of the bell that had disappeared for a long time began to ring out in Beijing. Being drowsy for nearly a century, the drum was also beaten again on the New Year's Eve of 2001. It has been beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes at a time since January 1st in 2002. From then on, every New Year Eve, the drum is beaten with the bell 108 times to send a blessing to the people.

The area of the bell and drum towers has been flourishing since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), when they were just standing behind the imperial palace. It was the busy downtown district there then, full of storefronts and businesses. Thanks to the further developing of the businesses, the street in front of the drum tower became the busiest shopping street in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. During the Republican Period of China (1911-1949), many have-nots (impoverished people),along with merchants selling handcrafted items (handicraftsmen) and vendors selling snacks and local food items (snack stands) swarmed the place between the bell and drum towers, which attracted people from all walks of life at that time.Today, when visiting, you can climb onto the bell tower and drum towers to have a birds-eye view to admire the entire city, and even take part in the activity of knocking the bell and drum, appreciating all kinds of folk-customs, such as the dragon and lion dance, and other folk-custom exhibitions.

Yonghe Lamasery (Harmony and Peace Palace Lamasery)

At the northeast corner of Beijing City the traveler will find an elegant and ancient temple known as the Yonghe Lamasery, which is the largest and most perfectly preserved lamasery in present day China.

Built initially in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, this building was the residence of Emperor Yongzheng when he was just a prince. However, in 1744 the Qing Dynasty formally changed the status of the dwelling to that of a lamasery, and so Yonghe Lamasery became the national centre of Lama administration.

The following details describe the main buildings inside the Lamasery.

On arrival at the south end of Yonghe Lamasery, the visitor will enter a yard which contains a screen wall and three Paifangs (Gateways), and will observe the red walls and stone lions, symbols which show that this Lamasery was originally the dwelling of an Imperial Family member. Entering north from the Gateways, the visitor will be confronted by a wide straight road which was used for the carriages of the emperors and their wives during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). At the northern end of this road is Zhaotaimen (Gate of Peace Declaration), which comprises three large archways, the central one of which was for the exclusive use of the emperors.

Passing through Zhaotai Gate the visitor will enter the second yard which contains a Drum Tower on the western side and a Bell tower on the eastern side, and in front of these towers are two octagonal Stele Pavilions. Words by Emperor Qianlong were carved in the stele explaining the traditional and historical reasons that dwellings formerly used by Imperial Family members must later be changed to temples.

Yonghe Gate, originally the main entrance to the Lamasery is now called Devaraja Hall (Hall of the Heavenly Kings), as there are the statues of four very powerful Heavenly Kings located on both sides of the inner palace walls. The northern Heavenly King on the eastern side holds a snake and treasures; the southern King on the eastern side holds an umbrella and a silver mouse; the southern one on the western side holds a sword and the northern one on the western side holds a Pipa (a musical instrument used in ancient China). Located in the centre of the Palace is a smiling Maitreya.

On departing Devaraja Hall the visitor will immediately observe an ancient copper cooking vessel made in 1747 during the Qing Dynasty. This vessel, which appears to be black with white marble stone as its seat, has high artistic value and is among 'the three rarest things in Beijing '. Six doors are inset into the upper part of the vessel, with two dragons playing with a ball cast on the doors, and there are three lions playing with a ball engraved on the seat. On the northern side of the vessel is the Great Stele Pavilion with the doors open on each of its four sides. Words by Emperor Qianlong of Qing in the stele inform of the origin and meaning of Lamaism. To the north of this Pavilion is an odd-shaped hill called Xuyu Hill, a sacred place of rich religious meaning which was built in the middle of a pool, and represents a place to which all Buddhists are eager to go.

Hall of Harmony and Peace (Yonghegong) is the main palace of Yonghe Lamasery and inside three bronze Buddhas are displayed - Sakyamuni in the middle, Kasyapa-matanga on the right and Maitreya on the left. There are 18 Arhats (statues of Buddha disciples) positioned on both sides of the Hall. The picture on the west wall is of Avalokitesvara with its thousands of hands and eyes.

North of the Hall of Harmony and Peace is Yongyoudian (Hall of Everlasting Protection), which was Emperor Yongzheng's living room when he lived there as a young prince and, at the time of his death his coffin was placed there. Now, a statue of Bhaisajya-guru is located there and sacrificial offerings are made to it.

From Yongyoudian continue north to the Falundian (Hall of the Wheel of the Law), which is the location for Lamas reading scriptures and holding Buddhist ceremonies. The Falundian comprises very special features as its structure contains the architectural styles of both Tibetan and Han Nationalities. It was formerly the dwelling of the Emperor's wives. A large statue of Tsong Kha-pa, an ancestor of Lamaism is displayed here in the centre of the Hall and also receives sacrificial offerings. Behind this statue is an Arhat Hill containing 500 Arhats made of five kinds of metals--gold, silver, copper, iron and tin. These Arhats have been shaped in different poses. In front of this Hill is a wooden basin which was said to have been used for washing the body of Emperor Qianlong three days after his birth. Elegant large frescos illustrating the life of Sakyamuni stretch around both the east and west walls.

Wanfuge (Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses) is the last formal palace to be visited in this complex. This is the highest palace because it is three stories high. Inside this pavilion there are tens of thousands of Buddhas displayed along every level, and in the centre there is an enormous statue of Maitreya positioned on a white marble base.

Suggestion: Souvenirs may be purchased by negotiation in the Lamasery, and the incenses for sale here are perfect.

Niujie (Ox Street) Mosque

Beijing's most historical and majestic mosque, The Niujie (Ox Street), is situated on Niujie Street in the city's Xuanwu District. First built back in 996, the mosque has a history that stretches back over a thousand years, in which time it has undergone numerous refits and extensions, and has greeted Muslims from all over the world to worship. The mosque covers an area of over 6000 square meters (7176 square yards), and is structurally based on traditional Chinese wooden palaces, yet adopts a typical Arabic-style of decoration. There are no human or animal figures among these decorations as these are considered taboo in Islam.

Unlike south-facing Buddhist temples, the mosque points towards Mekka, the holy land of Islam, in the west. The layout of the mosque is symmetrical and compact. The entrance gate is fronted by a large wall with a white marble pedestal, which stretches for around 40 meters (44 yards). A series of relief sculptures sit on the wall, depicting images of happiness and fortune. After passing through the entrance gate, visitors are faced by the Watching Moon Tower; a hexagonal, two-storied structure, reaching over 10 meters (33 feet) tall and housed under a golden-glazed roof. The tower is so named because it was used by the imam to observe the position of the moon to determine times for fasting.

Walking along the path that runs beside the tower, visitors eventually reach the Prayer Hall - the most important building in the mosque. It is a place only open to Muslims. Covering an area of 600 square meters (718 square yards), the hall has the capacity for a few thousand worshippers. The hall's arched gate is decorated with script from the Koran and poems of worship. Some of the text is written in the ancient Arabic characters of Al-Kufi, which is rarely seen in China. The room is also adorned with various paintings of flowers, strings of glass beads and colored glass, which contribute to the hall's air of great importance and holiness.

Outside of the Prayer Hall, two stele pavilions sit either side of the hall. In each of them stands a stone tablet details the history of the mosque. To the southeast of the hall, two black-brick graves of Shaykhs lie under a dense collection of cypress trees. Although hundreds of years old, the epigraphs on the gravestones remain clearly readable and are of great importance to research into the history of Islam in China.

The Niujie Mosque offers visitors not only the chance to admire a truly unique building, but also the opportunity to broaden their knowledge about Islam and its place in Chinese cultural history. The mosque should certainly rank highly on any visitor to Beijing's itinerary.

Tips:
1. Proper dress is required. No admittance if you are wearing shorts or a skirt.
2. Admittance to the Prayer Hall is limited to Muslims only.
3. Some areas in the mosque are not open to the public. Please refer to the information on the ticket.